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3 Uplifting Mantras for Out-of-this-World Inspiration

There are times when being an adult is hard. As kids, adulthood was this sparkling dimension where late night ice cream parties and bottomless, guiltless spending at Disneyland were a reality. No one ever told us the hardships of the 30 year fixed mortgage, the wedding industry, the likelihood of never becoming an astronaut, and the hell January 1 through April 15.

But what comes exceptionally hard to swallow is the toughness of being an adult and following your dreams.

Entrepreneurship is hard.

Using only your own two hands, you’ve created a moving, working business out of the entrails of an idea. You’ve believed in yourself enough to invest time, money, and tears to the pursuit that is supposed to change the world. Not everyone is capable of such dedication.

Sometimes, as is possible in life, things don’t turn out according to the plan. Maybe you didn’t hit your first financial milestone. Maybe you don’t have as many clients as you’d originally predicted. Maybe some force of nature came diving down to wreak havoc on your business and you were left devastated and uncertain.

We’ve all been there in those moments of questioning and in those days of despair. It gets especially difficult when you come to the line of your closest “supporters” who begin to wonder loudly if you should just quit while you’re ahead and join the rest of them in the workforce like normal humans your age. They remind you just how far against the grain you are pushing. It’s this darkness that makes it difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel and remember why you did all this for in the first place.

Remember that you are not alone. You are an entrepreneur. The struggle is real.

But when the hope has gone with the last utility bill, and despair is piled higher than the invoices, do not wallow in your defeats and do not dwell in the negativity because they are only more corners on the wet blanket that is holding you down.

Instead, remember these three motivational mantras to help get you out of your slump and back at the reins of successful entrepreneurship.

A Mantra, as taken from Hinduism and Buddhism, is a word, a sound, or a phrase that is repeated over and over and over and over again with the intention of heightening meditation or concentration. These three mantras that I have provided you with are simple phrases you can bring from your artillery of defenses against the harsh, dark world with its endless supply of crappy surprises.

To activate the mantras and boost your inspiration and motivation for success, all you need to do is take five minutes a day to yourself to be alone. When you are alone, try to find a time when you can let your mind relax. The purpose of the mantra is to help push the flood of busy thoughts out of your head for a few moments to clarity in the confusion. When you repeat these mantras over and over, you stop fussing and worrying about the world around you and concentrate on putting all of your energy, all of your focus, and all of your power into one channel.

Now, find yourself a quiet, secluded place and repeat after me:

Mantra 1- Never Forget Where You Came From

“Always remember where you are going, but never forget where you came from.” – Anonymous

As entrepreneurs, we are constantly looking ahead. We dream big and think about where we see ourselves when our ventures prove successful. With our eyes so focused on what’s ahead, we sometimes forget to think about why we started the journey in the first place. There was a time when your passion for your business was all the fuel you needed to survive those long days and nights (with the help of Costco bought peanut butter). One way to help yourself remember is to go back to your notes and read them over. Go back to any documentation from your early beginnings and remember your grassroots because that may have been where you were the most passionate.

One constant recommendation is to keep a journal. From the beginning of your journey, journaling is an excellent way to document the progress of your business. When things start looking bleak again, start from page one and read through so you can see the ups and downs. If you think journaling is lame, start a blog. Or a vlog. Or even a podcast about starting a business. Any way that you can record your daily thoughts and process will bring future-you a great dose of motivation. This mantra is meant to bring you back to where you came from. It reminds you to keep your feet on the ground while the rest of you drifts off to the newest horizon.

Mantra 2 – Grow Up and Be the Tree

“Nothing comes as an accomplishment instantly. Success does not come overnight. Patience is the key! Grow up and be the tree; but remember it takes dry and wet seasons to become a fruit bearer, achiever and impact maker!” – Israelmore Ayivor

Rome was not built in a day either. When it looks like nothing fruitful is coming from your efforts, just remember how long it takes for all good things to come about. Christmas comes once a year. You didn’t learn to read overnight. Everything takes time.

No one understands this better than Colonel Sanders. That’s right. The fried chicken guy.

As a young man, the Colonel bounced from job to job, doing everything from streetcar conductor to gas station attendant. It was this latter profession that landed him in the realm of hospitality where he would make his famous fried chicken for the hungry travelers that would stop through his area. At 40 years old, he bought the restaurant across from his station and begun selling his chicken there.

At 40, many of us have had varied level of successes. Some of us have made it and are exactly where we expected to be. Some of us are just beginning. Some of reminisce fondly of our 40s as we begin this new adventure of entrepreneurial stardom. Wherever you are specifically, know that 40 is where it all began for the Colonel.

Later, at golden age of 62, after many years in his restaurant, Sanders closed his doors and took his chicken across the country, wheeling and dealing until he was able to get a nickel for every piece of his chicken recipe that was sold through franchising.

Ten years later, at the age of 72 and with more than 600 franchise stores under his belt, he sold his company for $2 million.

Next time you stop in for a bucket of extra crispy Original Recipe, stop and remember his entrepreneurial journey; a business success story that was 32 years in the making.

His golden fried empire was not built in a day. And where would we be if after a few years of struggles, Colonel Sanders had quit chicken and gone back to his gas station?

Mantra 3 – Look on the Optimistic Side of Life

“I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” -Walt Disney

Don’t forget to stay positive. Even when you are in the darkest of times, your attitude will be the best indicator of how your work will turn around. If you sit and mope and decide that life is unfair, how is your life going to change?

As a teacher, one of the most influential moments of my life happened when I watched a great kid fade into the brickwork.

Chris was an all-star quarterback. He was tall and charming and smart. He was the whole package and even as a sophomore in high school, colleges were already sitting in the bleachers with eyes only for him.

His junior year was supposed to be special. He went the entire season looking down at the rest of us because he knew he had secured his place in life. But the last game of his junior year, he was benched and a freshmen who had come up from the junior varsity was invited up for the last game of the varsity’s season. The new kid, a mere 14 years old and 185 lbs amongst the giants around him, performed so well that my junior was not put back in for the rest of the game.

Chris still kept his haughty attitude for the rest of the year. He went to practice and continued to go about his days exactly as he had before. He scraped by in his grades with minimal effort, skipped a few practices here and there, but still performed, overall, pretty well.

When football season came around again, we were all stunned to see that Chris was not on the field. The new kid, now a sophomore, was starting quarterback during Chris’ senior year.

After that, I noticed Chris was a ghost of who he was before. He never spoke up in class, but instead, seemed to disappear and give into his misery. He stopped participating in any school activities and showed up to practice with half the motivation of before.

Football season passed and I saw him no more than a handful of times on the field. I heard he got accepted to the state school with no scholarship. He may or may not even play.

What Chris needed was to dig himself out of his slump. He needed to find motivation to get out of his head and tell himself to practice harder, to move faster, to try more. He gave up almost instantly and his dream of football stardom faded into the darkness with him. When I asked him what he was doing after graduation, he shrugged, nonchalant as usual (only recently), and slumped back down in the bus seat, curling his headphones over the top of his head and blasting me and my prying questions out.

Don’t cover yourself with blaring distractions. It’s important to stay active and positive. Even if your activity is no more than pausing your pursuits and conducting research (reading blogs, conducting surveys, playing the field, whatever), do it with enthusiasm, remembering that it is all moving towards your end goal. Never stop. Not even to cry when it gets too hard or too weird. Keep looking forward and slowly, you will get there.

These three mantras are meant to inspire and motivate any entrepreneur facing any struggle. Repeat each phrase daily, at least fifty times each. This will help you gain focus and perspective, reminding you of what’s important in your business. Mantras have been used for thousands of years to achieve Nirvana, the heightened state of true, pure happiness and enlightenment. Equipped with these three mantras, you will be one step closer to achieving entrepreneurial peace.